Enough
by dracowitch
Summary: Can he break away? Is there enough for him to risk it all for? It crossed Harry’s mind the way that Malfoy had glanced at his red and gold boxers in amusement - Rated just to be safe: for later chapters and language. Warning: SLASH - DM/HP
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Enough

**Author:** dracowitch

**Rating:** M (For later chapters and language)

**Pairing(s):** HP/DM

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter; except copies of the books, of course.

**Setting: **This fic is set post-Hogwarts, before the Nineteen Years Later epilogue.

***

"Get OUT!" Ginny threw a large bag out of the front door and shoved Harry away from her as he tried to kiss her and wrap his arms around her shoulders.

"Ginny, please. Just listen; you don't understand-"

Ginny's red hair seemed alive as she flew towards her fiancée, wand held outstretched. "Don't understand? I understand that you don't want to be with me anymore. Don't deny it, Harry", she cut across him, "I saw you last night; I've been waiting for it! I saw you and I saw _him_! Do you know how embarrassing it is for _me_? To find my fiancée with his hand in some guy's front pocket? And not just any guy – no, it had to be the worst person you could have chosen in the world! I can't even comprehend why you would go anywhere near-".

Harry cut across her rant, "-I didn't know that it was him, did I?"

Ginny looked ludicrous; "So you kiss strangers now, do you? We can't work it out this time. You're gay, I'm a girl – it's not a mix and match situation!"

Harry paused to look at her face properly. Her pale face was streaked with tears, but her bright eyes shone in the sun, her hair flipping around in the breeze like a flame. Harry tilted his head to the side and watched her wand arm twitching. "Well?" she demanded.

"Can't we work this out? It was a mistake: one kiss." Harry met her gaze and pouted. Ginny bit her lip and for a moment and she lowered her wand slightly. Harry took his chance and moved toward her. He had expected her to back away but she remained still. Slowly and carefully, he placed his hands on her arms and kissed her. For a few seconds they were entwined, kissing passionately and tugging at the other's hair. But when Ginny tried to move back into the house with her fiancée, he broke away and frowned. The hesitation was enough for her.

"That's what I thought. Please just go." Ginny turned from him quickly and he watched her slam the door of their house shut behind her.

--

Malfoy sauntered out of the Leaky Cauldron and shielded his eyes from the sun. He had had a rough night the night before. His head swam with vague, drunken memories of a stranger whom he had kissed before he had been knocked out of the way by a screaming girl. He did not recognise either of them, but he had been drunk and it was very dark.

Shaking his head, he rubbed his eyes and looked about him. It was a relatively normal day in Diagon Alley close to midday at the end of August. Harried looking mothers sped from each shop to the next; small children complaining, or being accidentally left behind staring at the latest racing brooms. Draco sighed dramatically to himself. Astoria wanted a kid. She had been dropping hints for months, but Draco didn't see what all the fuss was about. Looking about him, he could see fathers racing after toddlers with fists full of bat wings, tripping over toy brooms carelessly thrown down in tantrums, struggling with armfuls of new spell books as their kids gazed in awe at various items, with their noses pressed against window panes.

He closed his eyes to compose himself. He had not meant last night to happen; he felt guilty. His conscience never seemed to let anything go nowadays. Most people might have called it some form of Karma; that he deserved it for what he had been involved in when he was younger. But that was the past; he liked to live in the present and right now he had to meet his wife at Gringotts.

He and Astoria were setting up a joint account; it was a big step that Draco had only reluctantly agreed to. They both had inherited plenty of money; there was no need to combine their fortunes, but Astoria wanted to 'move forwards'. At least that was how she had put it. Draco didn't understand why when they were already married. He suddenly broke away from his thoughts, frowning to himself. Checking his silver pocket watch from inside his cloak, he noted the emerald encrusted minute hand was edging closer to the twelve.

Darting through the crowds with expertise on the main stretch, he headed quickly through some questionable back streets to avoid the masses and arrived at Gringotts within two minutes. Recognising his wife at the bottom of the marble steps, he took a deep breath and made his way toward her.

Draco kissed her briefly on her pale cheek and made an effort to smile. He was hung over and they both knew it, but he offered her his arm and they entered the large marble hall.

--

"Afternoon, Hannah," Harry nodded to the former Hufflepuff behind the bar at the Leaky Cauldron. She smiled at him and took his cloak.

"In need of a room?" she raised her eyebrows.

Harry frowned. "She told you?"

Hannah nodded and shrugged. "She actually told me that you are something _very rude_ and that I should turn you away. But then that would me too mean." Harry grinned; Hannah had been a surprisingly reliable friend since Hogwarts. She had married Neville and been welcomed into their circle of friends quickly. As the landlady of the Leaky Cauldron, she had grown accustomed to all sorts of people and was extremely tolerant and fair, not to mention her amusing avoidance of any crude language or behaviour. Sometimes she was too nice for her own good.

Taking his bags for him, she led Harry up the staircase at the end of the bar and opened the door on the top floor. "Nice and quiet up here. Only one more room on this floor and it's empty. You shouldn't have too much trouble from the folks downstairs; sleep most of the time, they do. I think they might be vampires actually, but I'm not one to ask." She pulled the curtains open and smoothed the bed sheets. Turning to him, her smile fell and she put her hands on her hips in a business-like manner.

"Listen, Harry. When Ginny rang me, she told me what happened this time. Now I'm not about to get involved, but I think she just needs some space. Maybe in a few days things will have cooled down a bit, yeah?" she reasoned.

Harry sighed. He wanted to believe her, but he knew it was worse than that. It wasn't the first time this had happened; he had been a regular visitor at the Leaky Cauldron over the past six months; mostly the result of a drunken night and an all-too-eager Seamus Finnigan. "Yeah, sounds good. Thanks, Hannah. I owe you one again." Hannah shook her head and waved her hand in a 'don't mention it' sort of way, before closing the door carefully behind her.

Harry sat down on the bad and leaned into the large pillows. Almost smothering himself, he let his mind dart between thoughts he had suppressed earlier as they came brimming to the surface. He thought of Ginny; he thought of Draco Malfoy and the night before. He thought he had wanted to be with Ginny, but the nagging doubt in the back of his mind kept on tangling his certainty into nothing.

He couldn't be gay. He just couldn't. Kissing a few guys didn't make him gay. But maybe he did enjoy it. Did that make him gay? He couldn't think straight. He grimaced at the irony of that last thought and rolled onto his side to look out of the low window. The avid shoppers below distracted him for a few minutes as he watched them weave in and out of each other, one or two occasionally breaking the smooth transition between street and shop as too many people attempted to squeeze through narrow doorways.

For several minutes all thoughts of relationships and sexuality were out of Harry's mind. It was only when he saw the object of his most recent affections that he groaned and rolled over again; falling off of the bed. Draco Malfoy was walking through Diagon Alley with his _wife_. Harry sat up and rolled his eyes as he watched them together. Draco's hand was strategically placed on Astoria's lower back as he lead her through the crowds to the Leaky Cauldron.

Harry wanted to hold Ginny like that; protect her, care for her. He watched the couple until they were out of sight in the bar below. An overwhelming wave of renewed dislike for Draco Malfoy caught Harry off guard and he punched his pillow in anger. Draco had kissed him back; it was both of them. But he would rather have kissed Ginny. That was all that mattered. In a moment of foolishness, Harry needed Ginny. He sprinted to the door and threw it open.

--

"For fuck's sake, Potter! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Draco snapped.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Enough

**Author:** dracowitch

**Rating:** M (For later chapters and language)

**Pairing(s):** HP/DM

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter; except copies of the books, of course.

**Setting: **This fic is set post-Hogwarts, before the Nineteen Years Later epilogue.

***

"For fuck's sake, Potter! What the hell do you think you're doing?" Draco snapped.

***

"Language please, Mr Malfoy. I have guests and customers who are not quite so tolerant or accustomed to such crude words," Hannah tutted. Malfoy gave her a sideways look and shook his head, resuming his customary formal tone.

"Apologies, I just didn't realise Potter was staying here. Took me by surprise, that's all." Malfoy nodded curtly and only broke eye contact with Harry when he turned into his room with his wife looking curiously over her shoulder.

Hannah closed the door after them before turning on Harry with pursed lips and one eyebrow raised. "What was that for? Why did you have to burst out of there like you had fiendfyre chasing you?" Harry became aware that his shoulders were stiff and he let them slump as he shrugged.

Hannah rolled her eyes and muttered something to herself as she descended the wooden stairs. "Don't go running down here – knowing you, you'll fall and it's a long way down," she called over her shoulder in a mocking tone.

"Yeah, sure. Thanks," Harry muttered to himself. The delay had hindered his spirit and he began to realise his stupidity. What had he been thinking? That he could run back to Ginny and everything would be ok again? That she would welcome him with open arms? With a dramatic sigh he trudged back into his room, leaning against the door as he closed it. It was barely two o'clock, but Harry felt unexplainably tired all of a sudden. He started towards the bed, but its overwhelming ability to smother him was unappealing, so he resigned himself to the rug in the middle of the floor.

Curling up in a loose foetal position, Harry grimaced at himself. He had never been one to use his fame, or exploit his position in the wizarding world, but right now he felt degraded and hapless. He eventually drifted in and out of sleep, with thoughts and dreams of nothing in particular.

--

"Draco, it's time to wake up," Astoria nudged him in the ribs before he could roll over and bury himself under the pillows.

Whining like a child, Draco grinned at his wife and winked mischievously. "If you want me out of bed so much, make me," he teased. It was a game he liked to play in the mornings, one that usually resulted in sex if Astoria was in a good mood, or his attempts at seduction being silenced until he got dressed if she was not. It seemed today could be the latter as his wife waved her wand in complicated motions, sending various items flying into a small bag at the foot of the bed.

Astoria finished packing and closed the bag smartly. "Draco, we have to go to the bank, remember? We have to sign the final papers for the account. Now let's go, we're already going to be late." Draco slid back under the covers and groaned.

"Oh, that doesn't matter. We have enough money – they'll wait as long as we need. Come back to bed for a few minutes." Astoria raised her eyebrows.

"A few minutes? Is that all you can manage?" she grinned. "Now come on, Draco. Get up." Walking to the door, she sighed. "There's a suit at the end of the bed for you, I already packed your pyjamas. I'm going downstairs to pay." Draco looked under the sheets and saw that she had removed his grey silk pyjama bottoms for him.

"Astoria, just come back to bed for a little-" he was cut off as his wife waved her wand and silenced him.

She picked up his wand, opened the door and turned to him, calling out behind her "bring the bag with you when you're finished and I'll take the spell off when we get downstairs".

Draco frowned. He hated it when she did that; he had always promised not to cast spells on her, but she had made no such promise. He admitted it came in useful when they wanted to try something a little different in the bedroom, but apart from that it was just annoying. He couldn't even undo it himself because she'd taken his wand, too. Pulling himself out of the warm bed, he washed quickly and dressed within a few minutes. Grabbing his wife's small green handbag, he opened the door to find Harry Potter in the doorway opposite once more. In his boxers. Red and gold, how appropriate after all this time.

--

Harry stood there for a moment, wondering what to say. Eventually he broke the silence: "Hey, Malfoy. Erm... I was just looking for Hannah; she said she'd be up here about now with breakfast. I thought you might be her." Malfoy nodded. Just as the awkwardness was about to pass, Harry caught sight of the green bag in the other man's hand. Harry raised one eyebrow and adopted an expression similar to that of Malfoy's famous smirk.

Expecting a snide retort, Harry was surprised when Malfoy turned red and clenched his jaw, before turning quickly and walking briskly down the wooden stairs. Harry was puzzled; it was weird that Malfoy had not responded as he usually would have done. In fact, he looked rather embarrassed; something that he was sure Malfoy had never experienced in front of Harry without a clever retort at the ready.

Walking back into his room to wait for breakfast, it crossed Harry's mind the way that Malfoy had glanced at his red and gold boxers in amusement, yet didn't say anything. Despite the reasoning that they were both adults and could possibly handle an encounter such as the one that had just passed without childish remarks, Harry felt strangely inclined to think that Draco felt awkward after the incident at the club, though he wasn't even entirely sure that Draco knew it had been him.

--

_Damn. I looked like an idiot. Astoria is going to pay for that one. Harry Potter in his boxers and I couldn't say anything. _Draco thought to himself as he trudged down the steps to the bar below. He knew his silence could have been marked as a sign of maturity by some, but Harry Potter would have thought he was just stupid. He didn't like that, even after three years away from school.

He entered the bar to find Astoria sipping a fire whiskey. He raised his eyebrows at her and nodded at the drink. She put it down and took her bag from him. "Thanks. I must seem like an alcoholic, I just really fancied one; had a craving. Last week it was chocolate frogs. I haven't wanted one of those for years." Draco smiled and motioned to the door, inviting his wife to her feet. He made his way to the door as Astoria turned: "Oh, thanks, Ms Abbott," she called to Hannah at the bottom of the steps with a tray of breakfast, presumably for Harry.

"Don't mention it, Ms Malfoy. Thank you, enjoy your day. You too, Mr Malfoy." Draco nodded and held the door open for Astoria absentmindedly, as he stood facing the wall to Diagon Alley. Before she could tap the bricks with her wand, Draco tugged at her sleeve impatiently. He felt like a small child asking his mother for a sweet.

"What? Oh right, sorry" she giggled. Draco pouted. "Don't pout, Draco, you look like a child." Astoria pointed her wand at his throat and he immediately snatched his own wand from her as his voice returned.

He tapped the bricks on the wall and waited as they shifted to reveal the archway to Diagon Alley. "I hate it when you do that. I looked like an idiot upstairs when I ran into Potter with your handbag." Astoria rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Well if you'd been man enough to get up at the right time in the first place, it wouldn't have happened. If you carry on like that I might have to punish you again..." she winked and weaved in and out of the crowds to Gringotts. Draco loved the way she could calm his temper so quickly; she was the only person he would ever let make a fool of him. He suddenly realised she had almost reached the bank and he set off at a faster pace to catch up to her.

--

Harry watched Malfoy dart after his wife amongst the crowds and eventually he lost them. He knew it was weird to be watching them, but since Ron and Hermione probably knew about the Ginny situation and he would feel awkward talking to them about it, it was strange that Malfoy was his link to the life he missed at Hogwarts.

He seemed to be having some sort of mid-life crisis and he needed to get out of the suddenly stuffy room. Pulling on clean clothes and ruffling his hair, he strode out of his room, down the steps to the bar and into Diagon Alley, where he wandered for almost an hour, before deciding that he should probably buy some more clothes and supplies if he couldn't go home.

Hours later, Harry collapsed onto the bed in his room and dropped his bags with little care. Plastic carrier bags from muggle clothes shops and brown paper packages containing quills, parchments and various opened boxes of sweets rolled onto the floor and under his bed. He lay there for a few minutes and considered feigning sleep when someone knocked at his door. As if they knew he was awake, the knocker persisted until Harry grew so sick of the sound that he heaved himself from the bed and yanked the door open.

Ginny was there with a not-so-discreet Hermione lingering down the steps. "I think we need to talk." Harry nodded and motioned for her to come in. He frowned at Hermione, who bit her lip and turned to walk back down to the bar.

--

"It's not my fault they can't hire decent staff nowadays!" Draco muttered darkly. Astoria and he had arrived at Gringotts earlier that day to sign the last papers for their joint account, but there had been a mistake in the administration process and it had had to be put off until the next day. Instead of returning home, Astoria had insisted that they went shopping and by the time they had finished, it seemed pointless not to simply spend another night at the Leaky Cauldron.

Making their way up the stairs to their room, they carried bags of potion ingredients, new robes, owl treats and various new books, all of which Draco was relieved to deposit at the foot of the bed. "I'll go and get the last box of books, okay?" he stretched and yawned to make a point, earning himself a scowl from his wife.

As he passed Harry's room on his way back with a pile of books on various beauty treatments which Astoria had deemed necessary to own, he caught his own name, making him pause and double-take to press his ear against the door. It was rude and not something he prided himself on, but if Harry Potter was talking about him he wasn't about to relinquish a chance to listen.

For a few minutes he listened and did not understand the significance of the conversation, which seemed to be between Harry and a girl, most probably Granger or that Weasley girl he was involved with. When he caught his name again, he tuned out the movement of bags and boxes from his own room and concentrated on the room behind the door against which he was pressed.

"_-I just can't believe – again, Harry-"_

"_didn't mean to- one time thing"_

"_one-time? – what about Finnigan?"_

"_-mistake-Malfoy too"_

"_-sure-I saw it-"_

"_took two people – I didn't start-"_

"_- didn't stop it"_

"_I was confused – drunk – dark club"_

"_still-Malfoy?"_

Malfoy turned away from the door in horror.

_Shit. I kissed Potter?_


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Enough

**Author:** dracowitch

**Rating:** M (For later chapters and language)

**Pairing(s):** HP/DM

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter; except copies of the books, of course.

**Author's Note:** Apologies for the long delay in posting, but other projects seemed to flow onto the paper much more easily. Hopefully I can make up for lost time now though!

***

_Shit. I kissed Potter?_

_***_

Draco stared at the door he had been pressed against for the past few minutes. _No. No way. Potter? _He shook his head in disbelief and pushed his ear against the door again, but his head was spinning too fast for him to make sense of the low mutterings on the other side.

After a few seconds more, Malfoy stepped back and took a deep breath to compose himself. He needed to lie down. It was one thing for him to doubt his sexuality, but for that doubt to be strengthened by a kiss from _Harry Potter. _It didn't bear thinking about. Draco only crashed back into his right mind when Astoria tapped him on the shoulder. "Draco...? What have you been doing? I finished packing, I just need those books."

Draco handed the box to her absentmindedly and she stumbled a little under the sudden weight, but left him alone in the hall. He continued to stare at the door opposite him, this time deep in thought:

_If I liked it, does that mean I am gay? Worse, does it mean I have to like Potter? _Draco pulled himself up to his full height and squared his shoulders. _No. Of course not. It was a drunken mistake and it was just unfortunate that it had to be Harry Potter. _Suddenly realising the amount of time he had spent in the hall, he turned sharply on his heel and strode into his room.

--

"Look, Harry, I thought we might be able to settle this, but I still can't get my head around what you did, let alone why you did it." Ginny shook her head and sighed. "Perhaps this isn't going to work anymore." Harry opened his mouth but she cut him off quickly "-at least not right now, okay?"

Ginny had almost reached the door when Harry realised he had been holding his breath for almost a minute and gasped for more air, spluttering as he attempted to calm his strangled lungs. Ginny frowned and turned the doorknob, but before she could open the door, Harry managed to regain enough oxygen to speak and choked out "how long?"

Shaking her head, Ginny let her long red hair cover her face as she looked down, avoiding eye contact with Harry until she had wiped away her tears. "I don't know, Harry. A few weeks? Months maybe? Perhaps never. I just don't know anymore" and before Harry could move toward her, she had thrown the door open and was halfway down the stairs.

Harry fell back onto the bed and rolled onto his front so that his face was buried in the soft pillows. For a moment he was slightly numb, until the previous conversation and its consequences began to sink in. He had never considered the fact that he might not be with Ginny. It has always seemed so certain that he would be with her or no-one. Yet now he was forced to accept that he might never kiss her again. Never hold her in his arms and smell her flaming red hair. Never marry her.

Harry did not know how much time passed before he fell asleep. He could have spent hours imagining her soft skin against his, or it could have been minutes, but eventually he drifted into a sleep that seemed to last only seconds before he woke to sun streaming through the open window and Hannah knocking gently on his door with his breakfast.

--

Draco woke that morning feeling incredibly satisfied. Determined to rid his mind of every thought concerning his sexuality, the club, the kiss and Harry Potter especially, Draco had literally swept Astoria off her feet the night before and given her everything he could, earning himself a few favours in return.

He got up and dressed quickly in his best suit, careful not to wake Astoria, who lay asleep in the large bed, occasionally sighing in her slumber. Intending to grab a quick drink before Astoria woke, if Draco saw Harry Potter again today, he would be prepared. It was only as he opened the door into the corridor that he closed it immediately. What if Potter thought he was trying too hard? What if this sent out the wrong message? Maybe Potter would think that Draco wanted to impress him in his suit? His abs did look quite good in the jacket and the trousers made his rear look very toned. Surely Potter would think Draco wanted to entice him?

Creeping back across the room, Draco swapped his smart suit for black jeans and a loose grey shirt. Looking at himself in the mirror, he ruffled his hair with his fingertips to displace it from its usual perfect placement. Looking rather more dishevelled that usual and slipping his wand into his back pocket, he made his way to the door again. It was only when he reached the end of the corridor that he caught sight of himself in the mirror on the wall. It didn't look right. He was a state. Harry couldn't see him like this.

Turning on his heel, he re-entered his room and searched the wardrobe meticulously. After a half an hour, he had tried on every shirt he had brought with him, plus the four new suits he had bought the day before and tiptoed across the room in each of his three new pairs of shoes.

By the time he had exhausted his supply of clothes, Astoria was stirring. Draco flicked his wand and the clothes flew from various places in the room back onto their respective hangers and shelves. Looking down at himself, he noted that he appeared to have chosen his silk grey boxers and odd socks. That would never do.

"Draco? What are you doing? What's the time?" Astoria had sat up in bed and yawned. Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall and she gasped. Jumping out of bed, she cursed herself and pulled on her own clothes. Draco watched her enviously as she quickly selected a simple grey dress and black heels. She made it look so easy. "Draco, what are you doing just standing there? It's 11 o'clock, we should have been at Gringott's three hours ago! Why didn't you wake me?" Astoria scowled and muttered to herself as she pulled her pale blonde hair into a loose bun.

Draco took a few moments to register what she was saying. After a few minutes he managed to recover and found a matching pair of socks. Pulling them on, he saw Astoria flicking her wand with athletic precision so that all of their belongings, old and new, were locked securely in the new trunk at the foot of the bed. It was only a few moments after that Astoria had whipped out of the room with the trunk hovering slightly just inside the door. Frowning, Draco resigned himself to whatever clothes he found in the trunk first. In her hurry, his wife had not seemed to notice that her husband had been left without any clothes to put on.

An hour later, Draco and Astoria were standing in the marble lobby of Gringotts. Having finally signed the papers, much to the gratitude of the impatient Goblins, a wizened old man showed them to an empty fireplace where their trunk waited patiently. Draco offered his arm to Astoria and led her to the grate, where she threw floo powder into the ash and declared 'Malfoy Manor'. Uncomfortable in the starched grey trousers and thick black jumper he had found in the trunk, Draco loosened his silk tie and hauled the trunk into the grate for his own departure. Relieved to be leaving Diagon Alley and the fear of being thrust into the presence of Harry potter every minute, he sighed and took a last sweeping look around the bank.

It was only as he grasped the floo powder in his fist that he saw Harry Potter at the counter across from the fireplace. Draco saw him turn and they made eye contact. In a moment of panic, Draco called 'Potter!' and waved. As he did so, the floo powder sprinkled into the grate and the flames swallowed him in darkness. When he finally stopped spinning, he only had time to glance at a familiar face before the screaming began.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Enough

**Author:** dracowitch

**Rating:** M (For later chapters and language)

**Pairing(s):** HP/DM

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter; except copies of the books, of course.

**Author's Note: **Thank you so much to everyone who has left reviews and added this to their alerts, it only makes me write more!

***

In a moment of panic, Draco called 'Potter!' and waved. As he did so, the floo powder sprinkled into the grate and the flames swallowed him in darkness. When he finally stopped spinning, he only had time to glance at a familiar face before the screaming began.

***

"Malfoy! What the HELL are you doing here?" There was a flurry of panic as Malfoy straightened up and dusted the ash from his clothes. Squinting through strands of his hair, which had mercilessly become displaced during his journey, he climbed out of the fireplace grate and looked around at the room before him. He had little time to adjust to his surroundings however, as a wand was pointed directly at his chest.

The first thing he saw when he looked up was a mane of flaming red hair. "What the fuck?" he tried to take a step backwards but he toppled over the corner of the trunk he had brought with him and slammed his head against the stone fireplace. "Shit!"

***

Harry blinked and moved closer to the fireplace grate. He had been looking at Draco Malfoy only a few seconds before the emerald flames had engulfed him. Shaking his head, Harry sighed and left Gringotts, his pocket now heavy with gold. He was going to buy Ginny a present in a pathetic attempt to reclaim her affections. Perhaps he should have withdrawn more gold, he thought, as he passed stalls of Dr. Filibuster Firework Flowers and solid gold chocolates (melt into caramel with the first bite!).

As he made his way down Diagon Alley, Harry watched children darting in and out of shops with their harried looking parents, one or two of them jumping up and down on thresholds as they waited for siblings or friends to catch up. Harry couldn't help but smile to himself; it was mid-August and the beginning of term at Hogwarts was getting closer each day. The streets would soon be teeming with excited eleven year-olds clutching their brand new wands and potion ingredients, while older students gaped at the tomes being passed to them in Flourish and Blotts and flaunted their racing brooms in front of the enthralled first years. Harry missed Hogwarts more than anything. Even a conversation with Malfoy would have been welcomed, had it reminded him so fondly of his school.

Harry couldn't focus in the chaos that was beginning to spread throughout the whole Alley. Abandoning his shopping, he had only just entered the Leaky Cauldron when Hannah rushed over to him, a folded piece of parchment in her hands. "Harry! Oh, thank Merlin, this came for you a few minutes ago. It seemed urgent, the owl almost pecked me to pieces before I told it you were out! I think it's from-". Here she stopped dead and averted her eyes. Hannah mumbled something about recognising the owl, before she shoved the parchment into Harry's hands and darted back behind the bar with her back to him.

A little confused, Harry sat down at the nearest table and unfolded the letter. It took him a few moments to realise what the words on the page meant, but only a few minutes later he had sent an urgent reply with Hannah's owl, paid for his room and board and was standing in the Leaky Cauldron fireplace with his hastily collected belongings. Throwing the sparking floo powder into the grate, he declared "4, Potters Lane!"and the flames tickled him into the darkness.

***

When Draco woke up he was lying on something very soft. Shifting slightly to get a better look of his surroundings, he felt his head pound. He lay still for a few minutes, thinking back to Gringotts. The last thing he remembered was waving stupidly to Harry Potter, before the green flames had engulfed him. Pushing himself up against the pillows under his head, Malfoy saw that he was lying on top of a large bed, with a scarlet blanket covering a fraction of his body.

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and felt his shins twinge. He hadn't realised how much he had collided with the trunk in the fireplace. He stood gingerly on his feet and grabbed his wand from a table next to him. Making his way to the door, he pulled it open slightly and heard voices coming from the floor below.

"Of course I didn't ask him to come! Why would I?" The sound of Harry Potter's voice startled Draco and he caught his breath in time to stop himself from swearing.

"Um, I don't know, Harry, the same reason you felt the urge to kiss a man?" A girl's voice ran clear and harsh through the floorboards. Draco's shoulders dropped and he sighed. Now he was going to have to face the Weasley girl, too. It just wasn't his day.

"Ginny you know that was a mistake! I swear, when I saw him in the Leaky Cauldron it was only for a minute and he was on his way out-!"

"-Of the closet?" Ginny's voice rang with distain.

Draco felt rude to eavesdrop for the second time in two days, but he couldn't resist. Pressing his hear against the door once more, he pursed his lips in frustration as their voices became quickly hushed.

"-completely ridiculous. I only came because you asked me to! If you want me to leave, then I will, but otherwise I will tell you why I think he's here!" Harry's voice was almost triumphant. For a few moments an awkward silence fell upon the house as Ginny contemplated the offer.

"Why?" she asked. Draco could sense a hint of threat in her voice that was so recognisable in his own.

Harry seemed to be moving around the room as he spoke, perhaps making himself more difficult to aim at, Draco reasoned and he smirked, but only a little. He wouldn't have wanted to be facing Ginny Weasley in a rage. The receiving end of her hexes was not a place he ever wanted to be again.

Harry continued. "When I saw Malfoy at Gringotts, he was obviously standing in the grate with floo powder in his hand. When he waved to me, he called 'Potter'. I guess he must have dropped some of the powder and he ended up here; an honest mistake."

"What a coincidence." Ginny's voice was gaining more sarcasm with every word she spoke. For a long while Draco couldn't hear anything. He felt an odd desire to go down there to defend himself. Hearing Harry Potter fight his battles for him was almost unbearable, especially when he was doing such a poor job of it.

"Well, I might as well go up and talk to him." Draco heard Harry move quickly across the room before he stopped abruptly.

"I don't know if he'll be awake yet. He hit his head pretty hard... I didn't know what to do, I thought I should ask Hermione to help, but she's at work until late." Ginny had regained control and her tone was formal; almost business-like.

Draco heard them begin to climb the stairs. Thrusting his wand back on the table, he leapt back up on the bed, ignoring his shins which were now throbbing and the slight dizziness brought on by moving too quickly. He heard them open the door, which he only then realised he had left ajar and stop close to the bed.

"Do you think he's ok?" Ginny's voice sounded worried. Draco felt oddly satisfied by this. Old memories came flooding back to him and he had to stop himself from smirking there and then.

Draco felt a hand touch his forehead. It was cool and soft. For a brief moment he felt shivers down his spine. "Yes, I think so. I mean, I know he's always been a little fragile-".

"Fragile? A hypochondriac to say the least!" Ginny's waspish remark silenced Harry for a few moments. Draco began to grow impatient. How much longer would they stand there?

"Okay, so not necessarily fragile. What I was _going_ to say was that he's had worse. I'm sure a bump on the head won't do him any permanent damage", Harry reasoned. "He'll probably wake soon and then... well, he can just go home and we can all carry on with our lives. It'll be like he was never here. I don't mind sitting here until he wakes up. I'll just explain and you don't have to deal with him at all."

Ginny clicked her tongue in impatience and Draco heard her open the door. "Well if you're so sure, I'll leave you to it then." The door clicked closed and Harry was left alone with Draco.

***

Harry crossed to the other side of the room and looked out of the window. It was a beautiful day outside. Deciding that the view was better than that of a sleeping Malfoy, Harry sat down on an armchair nearby and stared out the window. After only a few minutes, he heard a stirring noise behind him. Looking over his shoulder, he saw Malfoy push himself up and shake his pale hair from his eyes.

"Draco...?" Harry had hardly ever called him by his first name. He quite liked it. "Draco? Are you okay? I think you must have dropped some of the floo powder in Gringotts. You ended up at my house." Harry got up and watched Malfoy as he blinked and stared around the room.

"What? Oh right. Oh wait... I'm in your house?" Draco stammered. As he tried to get to his feet, he stumbled a little and Harry caught him. Supporting his weight, Harry helped Draco back onto the bed.

"Maybe you should lie down a little longer? I'll get you some tea if you like?" Harry made his way to the door, but Malfoy shook his head, so Harry returned to the bed. "Is there anything you want?" Harry was starting to feel a little awkward. He was regretting staying in the room now he realised that he was going to have to deal with Malfoy's drama. He watched Malfoy close his eyes and almost hoped that he would slip into unconsciousness himself.

***

Draco lay there with his eyes closed for a few moments. His little act had gone perfectly. As he had pretended to stumble, he had felt those same soft hands around his own arms. He had had to see if they were Harry's or the girl's. They were Harry's. He had quite liked them holding him. Draco frowned to himself.

***

Harry watched Malfoy's lips pucker as he frowned. Though a little amusing to Harry, he could see why the girls found it attractive. The way they were shaped so perfectly around each other... He had been a good kisser... Harry quickly pulled himself from that thought.

***

Draco opened his eyes a little and blinked. He could see Harry standing beside the bed looking down upon him. It made him feel almost vulnerable. He had never felt vulnerable at the hands of Harry Potter before. It wasn't so bad.

***

Harry watched the long eyelashes flutter a little as Malfoy opened his eyes. He suddenly realised he was standing very close to the bed and took a step back. Malfoy watched him and for a moment they made eye contact, but it was quickly broken when Harry turned to face the window once more.

***

Draco watched Harry turn. He had been embarrassed to look him in the eye. Sighing quietly, Draco's eyes slid down to Harry's fine rear. He noted how toned it was. Slowly and carefully, Draco lifted himself off of the bed and stood firmly on the carpet.

***

Harry heard Malfoy get up off the bed, but he did not turn; he felt oddly relaxed.

***

Draco walked closer to the Boy Who Lived and stood only a few inches behind him. The proximity was different, but not dangerous.

***

Harry could feel Malfoy's breath on his shoulder. He wasn't sure what was happening. All of a sudden he was reminded of the dark club.

***

"Harry?" Draco liked calling him by his first name.

***

Harry turned and found his lips only a short distance from Draco's.

"Harry, I just thought you should know that Hermione's downstairs-" the door swung open and Ginny walked in.


End file.
